Pumping apparatus



P. FISCHER ET AL PUMPING APPARATUS May 25, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVE NTORS.

&\\\*\\\\\\\\\\\\\ PAUL FISCHER' KURT scHoEN BY @WMLMWZM Y/m THE|R ATTORNEYS.

Filed sept. 1. 1949 May 25, 1954 P. FISCHER ET AL 2,679,209

' PUMPINGr APPARATUS Filed Sept. l, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS. PAUL FISCHER KURT SCHOEN vTHEIR ATTORNEYS.

Patented May 25, 1954 PUMPING APPARATUS Paul Fischer, St. Albans, and Kurt Schoen, Whitestone, N. Y., assignors to Arthur Bachert,

Essen, Germany Application September 1, 1949, Serial No. 113,518

Claims.

This invention relates to an improved form of sanitary type pump which may be used for pumping of pickling or curing brines and other edible liquids and the like. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved pump for the pumping of brine and other liquids for curing and pickling meat and the like.

Pumps of the type used heretofore for supplying brine or similar liquids to thelneedles for injection of the brine into meats and the like are of the piston, gear or lobe type in which one or more metallic elements come into direct contact with the brine so that these elements are subject to corrosion, with consequent contamination of the brine. Moreover, inasmuch as it is extremely difficult to prevent leakage of the brine through the bearings and gaskets surrounding moving parts, the brine acts upon these bearings and other parts and corrodes them even if they are formed, as in many cases, of relatively corrosion-resistant metals. In addition, inasmuch as these pumps must be tightly sealed to reduce leakage to a minimum, it is diicult to service and clean them. n

In accordance with the present invention, the the brine pump mechanism includes a pair of connected and movable diaphragme formed of rubber, synthetic rubber or other similar material arranged in such a way that these diaphragms may be moved to and fro by means of uid pressure so as to assure a substantially continuous pumping operation.

More particularly, the new brine pump is formed of highly corrosion-resistant material and having the diaphragms and casings arranged in such a way as to aiord easy access to the interior of the pump for cleaning and servicing. Moreover, all of the moving elements of the apparatus except the diaphragms are protected from contact` with the brine or other corrosive liquid.

A particular feature of the present invention is an improved form of valve mechanism whereby a quick change in the direction of movement of the diaphragms by shifting of the connec-.

tions to a fluid pressure source may be obtained in order to reduce the lag in the pumping operation to a minimum and also to provide a positive operation of the valve withoutthe need for springs or other supplemental actuating mechanism other than the reciprocation of the diaphragms themselves.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of a manual starting Vmechanism for the pump which. mayV be renderedeffective to start (Cl. 10S-150) 2 the pumping operation in the event that the pump requires assistance in starting, for any reason. Y

An additional feature of the invention is the provision of cleanout and inspection ports whereby the condition of the pump chambers can be readily ascertained and the chambers can be easily cleaned without tearing down the pump.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a view in elevation of a pump embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section through the pump;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the pumping mechanism disclosed in Fig. 1 with a portion of a cover plate broken away;

Fig. 4 is a view in section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a View in section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4 with certain of the parts shown in dotted lines.

The pump chosen for purposes of illustration is a dual chamber type of pump suitable for supplying a substantially continuous flow of brine or other liquid for curing meat and for other similar purposes.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, a typical two chamber pump may have a pair oi pump chambers I0 and II arranged at opposite ends of a casing member I2 within. which is mounted the control valve I3 for the system and other actuating elements of the pump. As shown in Fig. 4, the casing member I2 is of hollow cylindrical shape and has a supporting base Il of inverted channel shape having an outwardly extending flange I5 around its lower edge. The exact shape of the casing I2 and the base Ill are not important.

The pump casings I0 and II are alike, and. therefore, only one of them will be described. As shown in Fig. 1, the casing I0 includes an inner casing section I8 of a dish-like or concaveconvex shape which may be cast integrally with the casing I2. rThe casing section I8 is provided With a central aperture 2i] in alignment with casing I2. The outer end of the casing IIJ is formed o1 another concavo-convex casing section 2l which is secured to the inner casing section I8 by means of a series of bolts 22 around their peripheries. Interposed between the edges of the casing sections I8 and 2l is the edge of a disk-like ilexible diaphragm V23 which may be formed oi natural rubber, synthetic rubber, ilexibie plastic material, impregnated fabric or the like. rlhe diaphragm 23 is of such size and exibility that it can be displaced readily from contact with the inner Wall of the casing section i8 into contact with the inner Wall of the casing section 2i.

The outer casing section 2l lis provided with a cylindrical tubular extension 2l having mounted in its end a glass pane or panel 23 to permit ready inspection of the interior of the pump casing `|51 on the outside oi the diaphragm 23. The pane or panel 2S may be mounted in a hinged frame or it may be securely screwed to the end of the collar 2l in liquid-tight relation but in such 'a Way 'that it can be removed or opened to permit access to the interior o the casing it. p

The diaphragm 23 in the pump chamber it is connected to the diaphragm 25 in the purnp cha i-- ber i i by means of a rod cr shaft sii which extends lengthwise through the casing section i2 and is guided in the downwardly extending Web'l which extends lengthwise of the casing i2 as cestllshown inFigs. 2 and 4. The web'i iis generally rectangularin cross-section n-its upper'pcrtion and has `a cylindrical barrel v32 at its lower end.

The control valve'ili is mounted in a bore 33 extending lengthwisethrough the barrel32. Also, the web Si supports an actuating shaft 'Se by means of 'whiclrthe valve `lil is controlled as will foe'explainedhereaiteiz The shaft @il carries on its opposite ends a pair of downwardly extending arms--S'iand '3% which are provided with apertures 35a and 35u-through which the piston rod "36 extends 'andinwhich the 'piston rod is freely movable.

The chambers it and il are separated from each other by means ofja partition A3l extending transversely oi the casing land formed integral therewith-as indicated Fig. 4.

The diaphragms 23 and 29 are connected to op posi'tetendsoi-'the rodtiliby means of plates 3i! fandzii'on opposite sides ofthel diaphragm and by means of nuts lil threaded on the outerY ends vof Vthe 'shaft so that'the shaft-partakes of the movements 'oithediaphragrns in opposite directions.

The "diaphragms `are moved Aback Yand forth Within thepumpcchambers'l@and i l by means of Water, air or other iiuid pressure-.Supplied from an exterior-source'under the'control ofthe valve i3. The-invention Will be described hereinafter with'referencetothe use 'of Water for driving the pump although compressed. air or `the like is equally suitable. The i valve I3 "is Aconstructed and arrange-dto supply `Water to one of the pump chambers Eil andi l behind the'diaphragmthere* in and discharge Water from the other pump chamber thereby moving the kpiston rod 3S in `one direction. VWhen theA diaphragms come up against the vlall'of the chambers, the'vvater is directed into the other chamber and the diaphragme vare moved inthe opposite direction.

rEhe brine or'cther liquid tobe pumped is drawn into the pump chambers t@ andI i l and discharged therefrom'inthe zones on'the opposite sides of the diaphragme irorn'that'to which the water is delivered. Movement ofthe'diaphragm 23, for example,` to'the right from the position shown in Fig. l, Willdraw brine into the pump chamber I to theV left of the diaphragm AWhile at the same time brine' is iorcedfrom the portion of thepump chamber li tothe rightof the 'diaphragrnfas the Water pressure'forcesthe diaphragm 2Q to ther right.

The pump is provided 'with a brine inlet 'll pair i (Figs. 1 and 3) at about the center of the base I4 and a brine outlet l2 on the opposite side of the base. Only the details ci the outlet 132 and its connections are shown in Figs. 2 and 3 but they are generally similar to the inlet connections. The outlet 42 is connected to a conduit 43 extending lengthwise of the base Iii. The conduit is provided Withl oppositely acting bail lcheck valves 441 'and 5 at its'opposite nds,"these valves, in turn, being connected by the conduits it and il to the extensions 21 and 48 of the chambers iii and ii. These check valves permit ilovv of the brine out of the chambers i0 and ll. The inlet il is similarly connected"by means of a U-shaped conduit 59 (Fig.l 3) ha-ving interposed check Valves (not shown) to 'the eit'ensions 2l and d. It will be understood that fthe check valves in the conduit 19, are so arranged as to permit the brine to iiow intoY the' pump chambers lil and i I While preventing it from owing backwardly to the inlet il.

The -purnp chambers I-: and il -are provided 'with-discharge-faucets v"orf-spigotsI and 52 near vthe topfthereoff-solthatair can-be discharged from the chambersfwhen the-pumpv'is first set into operation.

-Th`e 4valve lf3 forcontrolling the operation of the pump ise'sp`ecially Yeiective incontrolling the operation of the pump -and isrdependent solely upon fluid'press-ure andthe movemento the Ldiaphragmsor itsfactuationfso that it is substantially "foolproof*in-'operation rThe details oi the control valve i 3 "and `its connections are bes *shown in Figs lian'd. The valve elements are posite ends -oi V'the VVvalve assemblyare in contact with the v'Water inthe space-"between thea-partition 3l and the -diaphragmsend 2'9. The valve vconsists of 'a sleeve rnemberfA 55 which is provided in one `side Witl'l'a l-cut out portion forming a passage for port 159 v-communieating lwith the in terior of the sleeve 55 'hefsleevel also has a -of`-ports"6|l"fandiil '(fliig.- 5) ,'fvvhich, as shown in Fig.v 5,' are'connectedto adischarge passage B Aon theoppositefsiderof' thepump. VIn addition to thewports referredV to above, the -sleeve A'55 has an- 'otherpair'-oflreturn portsB andti which communicate vvith Athe"grooves-l and`63, respectively, running lengthwise-oi the sle'eveand communicating With the-pump chambers "it and H.

A f slide valve plunger 10 -is slidably mounted extending-bore 113 vvhen the passages !2arein alignment with the port 59. On opposite sides ofthe pistonll'farela pairV of pistons 74 and 15 which act"asffvalves toalternately cover `and uncover-'the ports' andf'l. In the position shown in Fig.-5,the port 60 isuncovered by the piston 14 and the port l` is covered by the piston r15. 4'Ihe--slic'levalve 1U has tubular guide sleeves 16and 'I1-at itsopposite ends which are slidably receivedhinend closuresfor-ri-ngs 'I8 Vand 19 securedv inthe endsA 'fthesleeve 55. These rings limitthemovement of y thel slide' Valve 10 'and substantially seal the endsof'fthe'fsleeve 55. At opposite' ends`of,the-"pistonsr M and 'l5V are4 passages :and8 l extending from-'the` exterior of the Sleeves 16andf11to'2the 2bore :13. `Additional groups of. passages '88a and 8|a extend through the sleeves 16 and 11 outwardly of thepassages :80 and 8|, respectively.

sodomy mounted in Jthe bore 134s o control ,plunger 82 which has piston-like enlargements Aplunger 82 is slidable back and forth in the slide valve to move the piston 85from one side of theradial passages 12 to the other. The pistons 83 and'84 are spaced soV that they do not completely close the passages 80 and 8| at opposite ends of the pistons 14 and 15 simultaneously.

The pistons 83 and 84 cancover both groups of vvpassages 80a and 8Iaor .uncover either group selectively.

In operation of the pump and with the parts in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the water vunder vpressure flows` through the passage 59 around the exterior of the slide valve 18 between the pistons 1I and 15, out through the passage |56 and the groove 68 into the pump casing I| behind the diaphragm 29, thereby urging it to the right and forcing brine in the chamber on the right-hand side of the diaphragm out through the discharge passage 42.Y The diaphragm 23 at the same time is moving to the rightso that the brine is being drawn into the chamber ID to the left of the diaphragm through the inlet port 4I. The water in chamber I0 flows through the passage 61, port 65 to the outlet port 60 and is discharged through the passage 64. As the diaphragm and the piston rod 30 approach the limit of travel, the retaining plate for the diaphragm 23 engages the left-hand end of the shaft 34 and begins to displace it to the right. Inasmuch as the plates 35 and 38 are substantially in contact with opposite ends of the control plunger 82, the control plunger begins to move to the right. As a result, the piston 85 on the plunger 82 moves into a position first covering and then uncover` ing the radial passages 12 and closing the ports 80a and uncovering the ports 8 Ia so that the piston 85 is then to the right of the passages 12. Continued movement of the rod 34 will nally bring the plate 35 into engagement with the end of the sleeve 16 and will begin to displace the slide valve plunger 18 toward the right. Nothing occurs except a slight reduction in the rate of flow of Water through the inlet port 59 until the radial passages 12 come into alignment with the port 59. At that time, Water under pressure will be forced through the passages .12 and inasmuch as the plunger piston 85 is to the right of these passages, the water will flow to the left along the passage 13 and be discharged between the outer end of the piston 14 and the closure ring 18, thereby forcing the entire slide Valve plunger 10 rapidly to the right and reversing the connections between the water inlet port and the pump chambers. Water to the right of the piston is discharged through the ports 8|a inasmuch as they are uncovered by the piston 84 and at least one of them is outside the closure ring 19 at all times, as shown in Fig. Y5. With the slide valve plunger shifted to the right, the water `then flows through the passage 65, the groove 61 into the pump chamber I0 behind the diaphragm 23 forcing it and the connected diaphragm 29 to the left.' The Water behind the diaphragm 29 is forced throughthe groove 68, the port 66 into 6 the discharge port 6| and out through the dis-l charge connection 84 While brine is then drawn into the pump chamber I I to the right of the diaphragm 29 from the inlet 4I and the brine tothe left of the diaphragm 23 is discharged from the pump casing through the outlet 42.

From the preceding description of a typical operating cycle, it will be understood that the control valve is completely responsive to they -movement of the diaphragms and to the pressureof the Water and that it is unnecessary to provideI springs or toggle mechanisms for snapping the valve rapidly from one position to another, reversing the cycle.

Under some circumstances, for example, if Vthe `pump has not been operating for a long period of time, it may need assistance to start it operating- In order to start the pump under these condi tions, the rod 34 is provided with rack teeth 85, which may be engaged by a gear 81 on the end of. a shaft 88 mounted in a bushing '89 on the top of the casing I2. The shaft is rotated by a handwheel 9U to shift the rod 34 back and forth toloosen and start the pump.

Inadvertent movement of the valve plunger 10 may be prevented by forming cam surfaces 9| and 92 between the piston 1I and the pistons 14- and 15 and mounting a spring biased plunger 93 in the sleeve 55 for engaging one of Ythese cam surfaces and resiliently retaining the plunger in either of its limit positions. The provision. of the two cam portions permits the plunger 18 to be turned end for end, if desired, so that care in assembly is not required. Also', greater resistance tomovement of the valveplunger' mi is desired, two plungers may be included, one engaging the cam surface 9| and the other engaging the cam surface 92.

While in most cases, a dual chamber pump of the type described above is satisfactory for provi ducing a substantially continuous discharge, two or more of these pumps may be connected by' means of a series of check valves like those dei-- scribed above to a common source of supply andi discharging through a common conduit to supply' brine without substantial pulsation in the flow;

It will be understood that brine pumps of the: type described above will be made with stainless: steel or other corrosion-resistant casing portions; or fittings wherever contact with the brine may occur, with the exception of the diaphragms. In the interest of economy, the casing section, I2 and the various actuating elements such as the valve and the like may be formed of aluminum,l brass or bronze while the shaft 38 and the outer clamping discs and nuts 38 and 40 and the outer casing sections 2| and the fittings for conveying the brine may be formed of Monel, stainless steel or the like or even of glass or other similar materials.

From the preceding description of a typical pump embodying the present invention, it will be apparent that we have provided a brine pump ing apparatus which is simple, highly reliable in operation and meets all sanitary requirements as well as being foolproof and positive in operation. It may be understood. of course, that the size of the pump may be varied ydepending upon requirements and that there may be modications in the shape and design of the various parts of the pump. Therefore, the form of the invention dis; closed herein should be considered as illustrative and not as limiting the scope of the following Claims. I

Aopposteends .ci said casing and having' openings therein .communicating with opposite. ends of said casing, outer i.disk-like housing members confronting said inner housing members and derintherewitli pump chambers, ,flexible diaphragms dividing said 4 chambers into inner and .outer compartments, a partition at about the middle of said casing, -a first rod slidably mounted said partition, means at the opposite ends of said rod connecting it to said diaphragme, a second rod slidably mounted for endwise movement in said partition parallel with said rst fr od, end plates `,on said Second rod .engageable vwith 'the means at the .ends of said firstrod -for shifting the second rod endwise, a Valve mounted in said partition for supplying fluid under pressure selectively to the outer ends of said casing for displacing said diaphragme, means on said valye engageable by said end plates in response to displacement of said diaphragms for actuating said valve to supply fluid to ,and `discharge it from opposite ends of said casing alternately a manually movable member mounted in said partition, and means to connect said member with said second rod to move the latter and actuate said valve.

2, A control valve comprising a valve casing, a sleeve in said casing having an intake port to be connected to a source or" fluid under pressure, -a pair of discharge ports on opposite sides of said intake port and a pair of return ports for discharging fluid from said casing, `a valve member slidable axially of said sleeve and having end portions projecting beyond the ends oi said sleeve, end closure members insaid sleeve slidably receiving-said end portions, piston elements on said valve member spaced apart a lesser distance than the spacing between said discharge ports to cover both of said discharge ports simultaneously or selectively unco-ver one of them, another piston element on said valve member ymovable therewith to either side of said intake port and to a position covering it when both the discharge ports are covered, an axial bore extending from end to end o f said valve member, radial passages in said another piston element for delivering fluid from said intake port to said bore when the latter covered by said another piston, a control rod slidable axially of said bore and extending Qlliliwardly beyond the ends of said valve member, an enlargement on said rod movable selectively therewith to opposite sides of said radial ports to direct iluid therefrom along said bore, ports in said valve member outwardly of said spaced apart piston elements connecting said bore to the sleeve between Said end closures and said spaced apart piston elements, and means on the opposite ends of said control rod for selectively covering and uncovering the last-mentioned ports.

3,. A snap-action valve, comprising a casing, a sleeve in said casing having a centrally located intake port for connection with a source of uid under pressure, a pair of spaced apart return ports on opposite sides of said intake port and a pair of discharge ports spaced apart outwardly of said return ports, a slide valve plunger reciprocable in said sleeve, piston members at opposite ends of said plunger spaced apart a distance less than the distance between said discharge ports to cover one of the latter and uncover the other at the ends of its reciprocating movement and cover both when the plunger is substantially centrally positioned in said sleeve, a centrally located piston member on said plunger movable therewith from one side of said intake port to the other and covering said intake port in a central position of said plunger in said sleeve, an axial bore in said plunger, radial passages extending from the outer periphery of the centrally located piston member to said axial bore, a control rod in said bore, means on said rod and said plunger for directing fluid flowing through said radial passages when said intake port is covered by said centrally located piston selectively to one of said plunger to shift said plunger bodily, ports at opposite ends of said slide valve plunger, means at opposite ends ofvsaid control rod to cover and uncover the last-mentioned ports, said rod and said plunger being shiftable successively to divert fluid through said valve to suddenly shift said plunger reversing the flow of ud through said valve.

4. A snap-action valve comprising a casing, a sleeve in said casing having an intake port, a pair of spaced apart discharge ports on opposite sides of said port and a pair of spaced apart return ports, a valve member slidably mounted for axialmovement in said sleeve, said valve member having a centrally located piston and spaced apart enlargements adjacent its opposite ends, said piston and enlargements being spaced to cover said intake and discharge ports simultaneously and to uncover said intake port and selectively one of said discharge ports to connect one of said return ports with the intake port and the other return port with the uncovered discharge port, a bore extending lengthwise of said valve member, substantially radial passages extending through said piston for connecting said bore with said intake port when the latter is covered by said piston, hollow extensions on the ends of said valve member, end closures for said sleeve slidably receiving said extensions, a control rod slidable axially of said bore having enlargements at its ends tting in said extensions and an enlargement at about its mid-portion for covering and uncovering said radial passages, said control rod being shiftable to either side of said radial passages, and passages at the outer ends of said enlargements of said Valve member for introducing uid from said bore between said end closures and said enlargements.

5. A snap-action valve comprising a casing, a sleeve in said casing having an inlet port, a pair of spaced apart discharge ports on opposite sides of said intake port and a pair of spaced apart return ports, a valve member slidably mounted for axial movement in said sleeve, said valve member having a centrally located piston and spaced apart enlargements adjacent its opposite ends, said piston and enlargements being spaced to cover said intake port and selectively one of said discharge ports to connect one of said return ports with the intake port and the other return port with the uncovered discharge port, sleeve extensions at opposite ends of said valve member extending through and beyond the ends of the casing for shifting said valve member axially, an axial bore in andv extending through said valve member and said extensions, a control rod longer than the combined lengths of said valve member and extensions slidably mounted in said bore and having its opposite ends projectable beyond the outer ends of said extensions, and valve elements at about the middle of and adjacent to the ends of said control rod and pas'- sages in said valve member and extensionsr communicating with said bore and said casing at opposite ends of said valve member and cooperating with said valve elements for directing pressure from said intake port to the space between the outer end of one of said enlargements and said casing and to discharge liquid from between the outer end of the other enlargement and said casing through the passages in the sleeve extension thereon in response to relative movement of said valve member and rod in the same direction to move said valve member farther in the same direction and reverse the connections between said intake, discharge and return ports.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Patten Apr. 1, 1890 Keeney Feb. 7, 1893 Weatherhead Feb. 13, 1894 Roettger Dec. 1, 1914 Stuebing June 17, 1930 Lord NOV. 1, 1932 Hewitt 1---- June 20, 1933 Ferguson Oct. 28, 1941 Phelan Nov. 16, 1948 Carleton Mar. 14, 1950 

